No Mistake

He had been playing football in a muddy field. Tired and covered with fresh mud, little James returned home for dinner. His mother horrified with his appearance and wanting to shame him said, “Who’s this? I don’t know of anyone who lives here who could ever get so dirty and come to the table to eat!”

“It’s me, Mom,” he shouted. “It’s your son James who’s underneath all this dirt.”

Jesus once told the story of a son who went to his father and said, “Dad, I want whatever you have that has been set aside for my inheritance. I’m leaving home today.”

But things did not work out the way he thought they would. He wasted his inheritance on things with no eternal value. So, one day he “came to himself,” Jesus reported and decided to return home and face the consequences. But they were not what he expected.

He was met by his Dad who was filled with joy and compassion, longing for the day he would return. He wrapped his son in his arms and held him as tightly as he could and told him that he was loved and welcomed and “all is forgiven.”
What a picture of Jesus! Eyes searching, ears listening, arms open and heart pounding as He waits to receive us!

Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for a love that exceeds our sinfulness and grace and mercy that accepts us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Luke 15:11-32 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.